Quality Parts on a Budget

[Kuprin]

Hey all...new stick builder here. Don't worry, I'm not an electronics newb, I know how the bloody things work. My questions are on quality parts, without spending a ridiculous amount of money (unless anyone knows a cheap source, that likely rules out imports). The thing is, these sticks are going to be multi-purpose to the extreme, because of all the stuff my friends and I want to do.

So the question comes down to parts (boards will be talked about in another thread on adapters and input lag, I figured it's better to break it up). I've heard Happ is decent for the price, and obviously imports get expensive. Anyone have any more suggestions?

[paper tiger]

If you are going to order happ or Sanwa, you could try ponyboy on these forums. If you're looking for Sanwa and Seimitsu, try Per of Akihabarashop.com. If you're looking for Seimitsu, I sell them and have a thread in the trading outlet you can browse.

Ordering direct from Happ is a bad idea because of shipping fees. Hope this helps.

[Kuprin]

It's definitely a start; shipping from Akihabara Shop seems about as expensive as I expected (overseas shipping sucks). If Ponyboy has a bulk arrangement that would definitely help me out. :)

[TheRealNeoGeo]

Kuprin
AirMail from Japan is not so expensive. What are you looking after?

[Kuprin]

I'm looking to build four rigs, probably 8 action buttons + start/select. I've never used a Japanese stick before, but honestly in the worst case I'll mod them for American tops. I know this setup isn't going to be incredibly cheap, but I'm looking for the best deal I can get.